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Infrastructure Capacity May Limit Smart Growth Plans

Posted by: Christian Madera

1 July 2007 - 1:00pm

Ordinances in several Maryland counties that limit development were schools and sewers are in short supply may thwart the state's efforts to focus development in built-up areas.

"Ordinances regulating growth in some Maryland counties could work against the state's Smart Growth policy and push development into rural areas when an influx of new workers arrives by 2011, Maryland Secretary of Planning Richard Eberhart Hall said yesterday.

The regulations, called adequate public facilities ordinances (APFOs), attempt to prevent over-development by halting growth in areas where schools are crowded or sewage-treatment systems are at capacity.

That can cause urban sprawl by pushing development out of the state's "priority funding areas," which are designated for growth, and into areas where infrastructure does not support the expansion.

"We've got to worry about how to accommodate growth within the priority funding areas ... making sure we don't spill out into the rural areas," Mr. Hall said."

Full Story: County rules may cause urban sprawl
Source: The Washington Times, June 29, 2007
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